The demon hunter
by Laputian-Blackwriter
Summary: A warrior comes to Irontown. No one truly knows who this man comes from, and what he does for a living is dangerous business. But he got more than he bargained for when a more larger war is erupted, and the humans and animals will be forced to unite
1. A hunter comes to town

The warrior rode on his wood-elk towards iron town.

Wearing a cloak of green, and a pale mask, he was indeed a fearsome sight.

After a small disagreement among the guards, he was allowed to be let in to stay for a few days.

The head of this town had come to see him. "Welcome, warrior," She said. "I am Lady Eboshi. We are pleased to have you here."

"You may sweep aside the politeness, milady." The warrior replied coolly. "I will only be here for a short while, if fortune grants it. Just show me my quarters, and besides food, I will not be of any disturbance."

"It shall be done," She said.

He was shown his room, deep in the busy town in an old flat and left alone. Taking out his bag, he took out his arrows, bow, weapons and armour. Tonight he was going demon hunting.

------

"What do you make of him, Ashitaka?" Lady Eboshi asked the young man whom she had sent for.

Ashitaka paused for a moment before speaking. "He is a great warrior." He replied softly.

"He is," Eboshi said, "And I have only heard of him once. He is known as the demon-hunter."

"A man who hunts demons?"

"Yes. We should let him stay, as long as no misfortune befalls us."

Later that evening, the hunter, who was known as Kariudo, slipped out of his bed. Putting on his garments and taking one of his swords with him, he walked through the gate, saying that he would be out for all night, and into the forest which had grown back impossibly fast.

But Kariudo had no concern whatsoever for the forest. His only target was the demon that remains hidden inside.

Striding swiftly through the dense undercover and bush, he listened out for any sound that wasn't right. Even at night, the forest was active and the hunter wondered why the demon had not shown its grotesque face or made any trail for him to follow.

His ears suddenly picked up a faint, odd sound. Dashing forward, he saw a group of men around something. _Hunters, _he realized. _What have they caught?_ His curiosity overtook him and he silently crept forward.

The sight that greeted him made him reach for his arrows. Two wolves, that still were cubs, had been caught underneath nets, obviously badly wounded. And in the middle, where all the men were gathering around, he thought he saw…A woman?

It was. Underneath a net, Kariudo spotted a woman dressed in ragged clothes and struggling against the hunters. They were yelling in triumph and jeering at her.

Even though he seemed to be a cold demon hunter, underneath those walls of ice was a good heart. He drew his bow and several arrows, took aim, and fired.

The arrows which he had shot in quick succession hit one of the men, attaching him to a tree. The others grabbed weapons and rifles, lining up for a good shot.

With animal-like speed, he sprinted towards them, evading the bullets with well-honed senses. The hunter leapt into the air, whipping his sword out and slashing at them aggressively.

The men threw down their guns, grabbing swords and daggers and attacked in many numbers. Kariudo deflected the blows, striking at all angles to defeat his opponents.

They immediately started to draw back, realizing they were up against a more experienced adversary, jumped onto their horses and took the guns on the ground. As they were aiming, he took his bow, readied some arrows and fired.

The shots were incredibly accurate and powerful. The arrows beheaded some of the men, and the others severed their arms. The remaining men fell back, rearing up their horses and galloping into the forest.

Kariudo watched them disappear into the distance, then slung his bow onto his back and went to help the lady.

He took out his dagger and slashed the net open. To his surprise, the woman tried to attack him before attempting an escape, but he held on tightly with his right hand. "Who are you?" He demanded. "Why were these men trying to capture you?" In response, the woman clamped her teeth into his arm. Pain would have overcome a normal person by now and they would have let go, but Kariudo was no ordinary person. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," He whispered in a deadly, quiet voice.

Transparent, strange red tentacles suddenly appeared, wrapping themselves around Kariudo's right arm and started to spread rapidly across the woman's face. In fear, she snapped away, trying to pull her arm from his powerful grasp.

Kariudo loosened his grip, and then walked over to the trapped cubs.

Once being set free, they circled around the strange person, teeth bared in aggression.

Surprising the wolves, this person did not run, nor, scream or do anything that they were used to. Instead, he stood there and simply fixed them with that cold, hard stare of his.

The wolves started to back away, fear creeping up on them. Then with a few growls between them, they jumped on him.

Well, tried to anyway.

The human leapt at them as well! He grabbed one of the brothers, grabbing him by the throat and wrestled him to the ground. The wolf tried to move, but this human was incredibly strong and wouldn't let him budge. When the other wolf reared up to attack, he warned, "Stay there, wolf, or I will break your brother's throat."

So the wolf stayed back, and eventually the human let go. The beast scurried over to his brother, having more fear than any other time in his life.

"So will you tell me why they tried to capture you?" Kariudo turned back to the woman, "Or what your name is?"

"Her name is San." One of the wolves answered, terrified the human might capture her.

"What do you want?" The man asked.

"We – We are hungry." The wolf admitted.

Kariudo sprinted into the forest, leaving his weapons behind.

While he was gone, the wolves scampered towards their wolf sister. "Are you alright?" One of them asked.

San struggled up. "Yes," She replied.

"That man held more force than any other that I had ever seen," One wolf admitted. "He threw me around so easily…I couldn't believe it."

"Me neither."

A few minutes later the man came back with several creatures thrown over his back, which he placed on the ground. "Cooked or raw?" He grunted, and without waiting for an answer, tore one apart and bit into it.

The others followed suit, and soon they had regained their strengths.

San asked the question which all of them had been bursting to ask: "Who are you?"

The man considered the question for a moment before answering. "Nobody. I am known by many names, but you may call me Kariudo."

"Kariudo. Right." San scanned him for a moment. "Why are you here?"

But Kariudo was staring across the evening sky. "Return to your den," He said. "You don't want to see what's going to happen." And with that, he left.

But San and her brothers DID want to see what he was doing. With burning curiosity, they followed him.


	2. The first encounter

Kariudo sprinted deeper into the forest, readying his bow and pulling some arrows out of his quiver. If his ears weren't deceiving him…

And they didn't. Coming up to a lake, the hunter spotted a demon. The disgusting creature, covered in tangles of black, barreled through the paths, killing all life in its way.

Scanning his surroundings, he spotted a few trees nearby. Running along, he fired off an arrow to attract the demon's attention. It hit the mass of black, but only stunned it, nothing really effective.

As the creature turned around to attack the human that had struck it, Kariudo climbed onto the tree and readied another arrow.

_Alright, then…Closer…A little more…NOW!_

He fired the arrow, striking the demon in its eye. It screamed a deafening sound that was horrific. Taking out a few more arrows, he lined them up on the bow and fired them. The arrows hit the now-exposed flesh, and the wounds made the creature roll onto the ground.

Kariudo took out another arrow. Long experience had taught him never to think a demon was dead until it rotted into a skeleton. And patiently, he waited.

Nothing happened for the moment. Assuming he had killed it, Kariudo leapt down and walk over to the demon. "I'm sorry to do this, great one," He said, "But you must understand your fury has consumed you, and you are no longer in control of yourself. I had to do this."

The creature did not answer. Instead, its skin slowly decayed until only the skeleton was left.

Getting closer, Kariudo investigated the remains. When he moved close, he suddenly took his bow and fired an arrow into the forest. "Get out, San!" He yelled. "I know you're there!" Slowly, the wolf girl and her brothers emerged from the forest. "You could have told me you were hunting demons here," She snapped.

"And you could have told me that you were following me," He fired back. "But now you did, you can make yourself useful and check out the trail this demon caused."

"I don't take orders from you!" She shouted.

"No, you don't." He replied coolly, then went over to the remains of the demon. San, standing there feeling stupid, decided to help and ran back into the forest where the demon's trail followed.

Looking closely at the bones, Kariudo noticed something wrong. _Why weren't there any broken bones or anything like that? Anything to trigger the transformation?_

He also found out that the creature was unlike anything else he had ever seen. "This isn't good," He muttered, then noticed something in the ground. Carefully picking it up, he examined the markings then realized what it was. "Oh, no…" He turned to the wolf girl. "San!" He yelled. "Get your wolves and go back to your den! I don't think you'll like it when the king of demons comes knocking for a visit!" All of a sudden, the ground started shaking. The demon hunter took out his bow.

The wolf girl ran back towards him. "What are you doing?" She demanded. "If it's the king of demons that's going to come, then why aren't you running?"

"Because…" He grunted as he readied one of his special arrows, "If I don't kill it, then all in Iron town will suffer."

"Are you crazy?" She yelled.

"I'm not afraid to die." He raised his weapon.

San paused for a moment. Then, taking out her knife, she whacked him powerfully on the head with the end of the handle.

Taking his limp body, she laid him on one of the wolves, got on, then they sped into the forest.


	3. A ghost's advice

Opening his eyes, Kariudo saw the ceiling was unfamiliar. Scanning it further, he decided that it was a cave. Therefore, he was in the wolf girl, San's, den.

Getting up, he felt pain that echoed through his head. Remembering quickly what had happened, he concluded that San must have knocked him out because he appeared reasonably insane.

He smiled, a gesture he had not done for many years. He had been to the land of the impossible before, and sometimes, he enjoyed the challenge.

Turning his head, he noticed San and her brothers, lying on the ground asleep.

Kariudo stood on his feet and walked into the night. He left his short sword lying in the den. He had no use for it, and since the King of demons had arrived, San would need all her resources to survive.

The hunter stared out across the forest. _Where are you, demon king? Why don't you show yourself?_ Stretching his muscles, he sprinted along the trail and out into the wilderness.

Even though he was heading at full speed, his steps made no noise and he brushed past barely any trees or bush. This was part of his training, and it had proven itself useful many times.

Coming to a halt, he looked at his arm. This was where the demon had touched him all those years ago, and thanks to a mysterious plant with incredible healing properties, the infection couldn't spread and it was limited only to his right arm. The demonic power had destroyed many foes over the past, and he had learnt how to control it.

Taking his bow out, he fitted an arrow to it and fired. It struck a tree. Taking another arrow out, he shot it and the projectile splintered the first one in the exact spot.

_Why do you do it, Kariudo? _A voice inside him asked. _Why do you hunt demons?_

"Because I choose to," he whispered. "Because this is my curse, and my destiny."

"Is that so, demon hunter?"

Spinning around, Kariudo aimed his bow at the massive wolf that had just appeared.

It smiled at him. "What do you know about destiny and curses, human?"

He rolled up his right sleeve to reveal the demon's mark. "I know enough," He said. "Who are you, anyway?"

"That is none of your concern," It replied. "It seems you have met my daughter, San."

"Yes."

"You love her, don't you?"

Kariudo thought a moment before answering. "I admire her beauty, strength and courage, but I am not tempted. For if she is your daughter, she is a wolf, and I am human."

"Yes!" It hissed. "Finally, a human who understands! She may be human on the outside, but inside she is part of the wolf clan! Maybe you humans are not stupid after all."

Kariudo sighed. "I'm not human, in a way. Inside, part of me is a wolf. They raised me for many years before I was captured by humans, but still a part of me yearns to return."

"Why don't you?"

"I must destroy demons."

"And yet, you have demons inside you. I can clearly see the pain and anger of your past years, and they will eventually control you."

"Years of training have pushed those demons down, great one. They will not control me."

"Then you are strong, young one." The large wolf smiled again. "You must be stronger if you wish to succeed. Great perils lie ahead of you, and you will need everything you have. Be mindful, hunter." And with that, she turned, and disappeared.

Kariudo looked at the spot where she had disappeared. "Thank you, great one," He whispered to the spirit of the deceased wolf god.


	4. A wolf's duel

Kariudo reached Iron town by dawn, when the guards had already been posted. There were no arguments this time, they let him in.

Further away in the forest, San was just beginning to stir. When she woke up, the wolf girl found that Kariudo had already gone. In his place, she found the short sword. _Had he left it here by accident? _Immediately she dismissed that possibility. The warrior had already proven himself to be powerful, and San had no doubts he had left it for her.

Drawing it from the scabbard, the sword gleamed, even in the darkness. Along its surface were markings carved into it. One of the markings was the figure of a wolf, below a full moon. Testing it, San found the sword to be very light. It was as if it was made for her.

-----

Kariudo sat in his room, calming his thoughts as he had been taught to do. Listening with ears that heard no physical sound, he heard the whisperings of the forest. They were of great sadness, but also of great strength.

There was a knock on his door. "Come in." Kariudo stood on his feet to greet the person.

There stood a young man about his age, his sword at his side. "I am Ashitaka," the person greeted.

"And I am Kariudo," He replied. "Tell me, Ashitaka, what brings you here?" He invited him to sit down.

"Lady Eboshi sent me," He said. "She wonders what you were doing at night."

"Is that not clear to her who I am?" Kariudo replied calmly.

"She knows who you are, but there are many things in the forest. The Lady just wants to make sure."

"I am who I claim to be, Ashitaka. But you, of the Emishi tribe, I believe you would be of more interest to her."

Ashitaka was taken aback for a moment. "How do you know?"

"I can tell. And I've been to the east before, nothing has escaped my view." For a moment, Kariudo was deep in thought before asking his question. "Tell me, Ashitaka, have you heard of a girl named San?"

"Have you met her, Kariudo?"

"In a way, Ashitaka, in a way."

"Then you must have met her…brothers."

"Don't worry, Ashitaka, they are not hurt, although their ego may be."

"I am glad…." Leaning forward, Ashitaka became more serious. "Listen, that demon you're hunting….Can demons shape-shift?"

"Not that I know of," He replied. "Why?"

"Because we've been suffering attacks from several monsters for the past few weeks now. We were able to drive them back, but now there are more of them."

"I also have to tell you something as well, Ashitaka." He leaned closer. "The king of demons has arrived."

Ashikata looked at him in shock, then quickly ran outside.

A few days later the messenger sprinted into town. "Lady Eboshi!" He blurted out. "There are samurai camps not far from here!"

"Well, it seems that the samurai has decided to resume their siege," Eboshi said calmly.

Kariudo stood up. "Milady, I believe that I can drive back the samurai, as well as making them never bother us again, with blood only being spilt on their side."

"How so?"

"I will go there and challenge the leader to a duel."

"Yes…Yes, now I see your plan. But what happens if you lose?"

"I won't."

Eboshi considered it for a moment before giving him her reply. "Very well. Go."

-----

Lying on the floor cross-legged between two candles, Kariudo meditated deeply. He gathered all of his strength for this battle, gathering everything that he had learnt. Considering what he had heard about Samurai, he would need it.

Stepping up, he took a cup of red dye and, dipping his finger into it, placed the markings of the wolf clan which had raised him onto his face.

He took his white demon mask and strapped it onto his face. Kariudo walked to his bag and took out his twin swords, strapping them to his belt. The hunter slipped on his black garments, then walked out into the night.

Further off, San watched the hunter step out of the gates and run through the night. "Come on," She said to her brothers. "Let's follow him."

-----

The hunter sprinted along the path towards the makeshift samurai camp. Crouching beside a rock, he surveyed their movements before getting closer.

He lay low beside a tent, realising to alert the leader, he would need to cause a little havoc.

Stepping out, he walked casually to one of the samurais then knocked him out with a punch. As the other men gathered their weapons, he yelled, "Call your leader!"

They did so, and the shogun stood before him.

"I am here to make a deal for you," Kariudo said. "If I beat you in a duel, then you and your samurai leave Iron town in peace and never disturb them again. However, if I lose, then we hand over Iron town to you."

The shogun smirked and took out his sword. Kariudo drew one of his swords slowly, switching himself into a defensive guard.

The shogun attacked first, slashing his sword incredibly fast. The hunter casually parried them, stepping backwards slowly.

Kariudo swiftly crouched down when the shogun tried to strike his head, then quickly stood up again. The force slammed the shogun onto the ground, but he quickly recovered to resume the offensive.

The demon hunter clearly was the better swordsman in this fight, however good the shogun was. He fought and deflected with mocking ease, switching his fighting styles swiftly so his adversary was constantly confused.

Eventually the shogun stepped back, realising that he had made a mistake. Yelling to his troops, they immediately drew their swords and attacked.

"Kariudo!" San yelled, standing from his hiding spot. There was no way he would win now, he was totally overwhelmed.

But the demon hunter was smiling. He drew his second sword, and with both of them he attacked, slashing in several angles at once, felling many samurai.

Crouching underneath the crowd, he scurried towards the shogun on all fours. Then when he was right in front of him, Kariudo took out his sword and thrust it deep into the shogun's heart.

He gasped, looked at the sword sticking in him, and then slumped onto the ground as Kariudo removed his sword.

The samurai turned around to look at their fallen commander. Then, they reared up to attack their assassin.

But Kariudo took off his mask, revealing his face smeared with the red marks of his wolf clan. His right arm suddenly seemed to be swarmed in red tentacles.

They fell back in terror, stumbling over one another as they ran to their horses.

Smiling, Kariudo howled a perfect triumphant wolf howl.

A few kilometres away, San and her brothers howled back.

Author's note: PLEASE R & R!

Also, did you know that Ashikata and Kaya from the Emishi tribe are not actually brother and sister! They may say it, but they don't mean it that way. Miyazaki said that Kaya was looking to marry Ashikata, but he chose San over her.


	5. Who am I?

Kariudo returned to Iron town under the cover of darkness. "The deed is done," He said to Lady Eboshi, then returned to his room.

Inside, he took a look at himself. _What are you doing, Kariudo? _He asked himself. _Why are you helping them with their problems? You must destroy the demon king. That is your purpose now, not to help them with their personal problems._

Sighing, he walked outside after changing into more casual gear. He kept the red marks on his face, then, taking his dagger with him, he went into the forest.

Sometimes he wished he was a wolf again, hunting animals among his fellow kind and playing with his brothers. This was one of those times, and now, he replied to the calling.

Sprinting into the night, Kariudo the wolf listened intently to any animal noises. Then, drawing closer, he pounced on an unsuspecting deer.

Grabbing it, he tore the creature apart, then, using his dagger, cut it open and bit into the flesh. He felt alive again, fully energized after taking the deer. After a reasonably delicious meal (For a wolf, anyway), Kariudo sped deeper into the forest. His nose was on the hunt for any strange scent, and sooner than later he found one.

The other animal found him as well, but she looked awfully…Wolf! She was a wolf!

Both wolves circled around each other like predators, slowly, cautiously. Without warning, they both charged.

Kariudo was obviously the stronger one, and he took advantage quickly. They rolled over on the ground a few times, snapping and fighting each other, but he stood up and charged her again. Stunned, the female wolf stepped back, in fear. And to his surprise, it spoke. "Kariudo?"

At once, Kariudo the human resumed dominance. "San? What are you doing, this late?" Damn! Stupid question!

"I should be asking you the same thing!" She snapped. "I always thought you were another filthy human, yet you move and think…and smell like a wolf!"

"For a moment, I thought you were my enemy."

"Mine, too." Frowning, San spoke again. "Kariudo…Are you a wolf?"

Kariudo's expression became tortured. "I was once of a wolf clan. We were dominant. We were powerful." His hand turned into a fist. "We were free!"

"Then what happened?"

"Then humans happened, that's what. They came and massacred my family, took me away from them, and raised me as a human!" He bared his teeth in anger.

"Look, Kariudo…" For once (Make that twice) in her life, San felt sympathy for a human. "I'm sorry. I'd hate to feel what it was like."

"Don't." He turned into the forest and left. "Don't show any sympathy. You're a wolf, not a human."

-----

The demon king slowly approached Iron Town.

Clad in red armour, and with a massive iron hammer at his side, he knew the time had come for him to seize power.

He had sent his servants ahead of him a few months ago. That would have crippled them. Now, it would be all-out war on all things.

He raised his head to look up at the skies. _Not even the gods will stop me._ The king signaled to some of his servants. "Once all my armies are in place, burn the forest first to stop the humans getting supplies and to cripple the animals. Then we shall have no difficulty in taking Iron Town."

The servants bowed. "Yes, your Highness."

Kilometres away, Ashitaka was discussing things at hand with Lady Eboshi. "If what the hunter says is true, then we will not survive an all-out attack by the demon armies. Please, milady, we must unite with the animals of the forest!"

"I'm sorry, Ashitaka, but we cannot." The Lady replied. "I see the strategic bonuses of such an alliance, but it would not be built on trust. The animals cannot trust us."

"Lady Eboshi! Let me through, Gonzo…Lady Eboshi!"

She turned. "What is it?"

"Milady, the forest is burning down!"

"What?" She ran outside, through the town and out to the open gate. He had told the truth. The forest was indeed burning. Trees were falling down, and animals screamed as their homes were destroyed.

"Lady, why would they do this?" Ashitaka ran up beside her. "Why would they burn it?"

Suddenly, she realised what the demon king was planning. "He plans to turn the animals against us!" It was such a devious plan. The forest would be burnt, therefore making the animals blame the humans. Then, they would attack, crippling both forces. The demon king would then have no trouble taking Iron Town.

"Milady." Kariudo stepped beside them. "It is just as I feared. I must go and warn the animals of the approaching danger, as well as telling them it wasn't your fault." And with that, he left. Ashitaka ran to follow.

Speeding along, Ashitaka got on his wood-elk, Yukaal, and gave Kariudo a hand up. They galloped into the woods, evading burning branches and fallen logs.

"Don't worry about the animals," Kariudo instructed. "They used to deal with this all the time, right? Then they can help themselves. What is most important now is getting to the Forest Spirit's old pond."

"Why there?"

"The animals all know where it is and I have an idea."


	6. It's nothing mutual

They found the pond. Getting off the wood-elk, Kariudo waded out to the island where the Forest Spirit once dwelled. He raised his sword. "Oh great Forest Spirit!" He called. "I know that even though you seemed to have died, you still dwell in this forest! So please! This is our time of greatest need! Listen to us, great one! Come and help us!" The Forest Spirit would know what to do in this time of peril.

For minutes, they waited. Suddenly, bright ball of light floated down from the sky. They were so bright, that they seemed to be from the heavens. They gathered together to form a golden body. "Forest Spirit!" Kariudo gasped. It was indeed. The great god walked up to him, its footsteps forming flowers where they fall…and taking them away when he lifted them.

Its body of radiant light touched his outstretched hand, and then, it disappeared.

Slowly, the clouds formed and gathered. Then from them, droplets of rain came down to the ground. They extinguished the flames in the forest.

_Little one…_

Kariudo spun around in surprise.

_Little one, you still have much to learn. The first thing you must know is: who are you?_

Immediately the voice ceased. Kariudo pondered over the question. _Who am I? Well, sometimes I can't answer that question either. _Who was he? Sometimes, he was Kariudo the wolf, and other times, he was Kariudo the human.

He sighed. The hunter would have to think deeply about this.

"Kariudo!" Ashitaka ran towards him. "Kariudo, what happened?"

Kariudo sighed. "Well, I don't think I can answer that question. We'd better head back."

-----

"Take your positions, riflemen!" Lady Eboshi called. "Ready….A little closer…FIRE!" The massive explosions rocketed into the charging demon warriors. They stunned them for a moment, then the warriors resumed attacking. "Second line…ready, fire!" The bullets shook the demon warriors up, and the first line of attack fell. The second line was still moving. "Hold them back!" Eboshi ordered, then dropped down to meet Ashitaka. "Yes?"

"Lady Eboshi, I still think uniting with the animals is the best way," Ashikata urged. "We won't be able to hold them back for long."

"Yes, Ashikata, I understand your concerns, but now is not the time! The animals are far too busy trying to replant their forest and repair their homes, so now is not the time!"

Inside Iron Town, Kariudo stared at himself in the mirror. _Who am I?_ He still could not answer that question.

He walked towards his bag, and took out some of his weapons. Slipping on some padded combat clothes, Kariudo picked the dagger and samurai sword. _Wait. Is this really the weapon that reflects who I am?_ He was told long ago by his teachers that a weapon reflected who he was. _This samurai sword is light and elegant…And as far as I know, that's not me. _He put the sword back into his bag.

He looked at himself in the mirror again.

"You seem to be at quite a split, human." The image of the wolf goddess who had appeared to him before came now, into the mirror. She smiled. "You seem to think of yourself as two different identities. One the wolf…And the other the human. But really, who are you?"

"I – I really have no idea," He admitted.

"That is why you cannot become stronger. Your fighting skills, I must say, are quite excellent, but inside, if someone broke into your mind, then who would defend? The human or the wolf?"

"I want to be both," He said. "I want to be them at the same time."

The wolf god smiled again.

Kariudo's mind suddenly realised it. "Wait…I want to be both…I am both. I'm not just one I am two! I am human and wolf!" He bowed quickly. "Thank you, wolf god."

"Why, you always had my admiration warrior. The demon king is a deceitful and scheming creature. Now that you are complete, you are worthy enough to face him."

"But how? How can I defeat a ruler of demons?"

"You will know…" The image disappeared.

Quickly, Kariudo ran to his bag. Inside, he found the perfect weapon. He grabbed the rest of his padded clothing, put it on and took out the red dye. _I am a wolf…_He smeared the wolf markings onto his face. _I am a human…_The hunter took his weapon and walked outside.

He knew they couldn't win this fight if it continued, so he got Ashitaka and they set off on Yakuul.

-----

Grabbing her sword and dagger, San fitted the mask onto her face and got onto her brother. "Let us go," She said.

"Wait for a moment, San!" Ashitaka and Kariudo, riding on Yakuul, approached them.

She hissed. "You lied to me!" She snapped in anger. "You told me the humans wouldn't hurt the forest anymore, and for that, I can never forgive you!" Even though she loved Ashitaka and greatly admired Kariudo, old rules engraved into her heart by her mother Moro took hold.

_Never trust a human…_

_Humans are enemies…_

_They are deceitful…_

Before they could say anything, San had jumped off her brother and took out her sword. Leaping from side to side, she stabbed at Ashikata.

Kariudo ran in, deflecting her blow.

San gasped and stepped back. He was now wielding a _double_-bladed sword, whirling in a dizzying vortex of power.

Throwing her fears aside, she tried to strike him, but he evaded it and stabbed at her. San barely was able to block it, there was such strength in the blade that it nearly wrenched the sword from her grip.

As she moved to slice him again, Kariudo suddenly grabbed her and lifted San up so easily.

She scrabbled around, trying to get out of his grip. "You're a good fighter," He said, "But you leave your defenses wide open." Then with that, he –

_Kissed her?_

San looked at him, stunned at what had just happened. He let her go. "Send the word. Tell all the animals in the forest to gather around the Forest Spirit's pond." Then, as he was turning around to leave, he added, "By the way, that kiss was to calm you down. It wasn't anything mutual."

-----

"You are quite mischievous, aren't you?" Ashikata teased.

"As I said, the feeling wasn't mutual. I don't have any interest in her," Kariudo replied.

"Right." Ashikata sat down. "Will the animals respond to our call?"

"Once they find out we're humans, they all be swarming to see us," he promised. "Don't worry about it."


	7. The human speaks the truth

Kariudo addressed the animal tribes of the forest in desperation. "Animals of the forest, listen to me!" He yelled.

"Why should we listen to you?"

"You're nothing but a filthy human!"

"What business do you have here in the forest?"

"A meeting like this hasn't been called in four hundred years!"

In response, Kariudo slipped something out of his pocket and raised it into the air. Immediately the animals went quiet. "You know what this is, don't you?" He asked. "It is the mark of the demon king. He has come to this place, and brought with him an army."

"What has it got to do with us?"

"Let the humans deal with the demon army!"

Kariudo gesture to the forest. "It was the demons who set fire to the forest, not the humans. For all the atrocities that Iron Town may have done, why blame them for this? They have not attacked the forest for two years!"

"You don't know half of what they did, human! They deserve what they get!"

Instantly, Kariudo grew angry. "And what of you animals? You attacked men that did not do you any harm, that were only bringing food to feed their wives and families! What atrocities have you also done? Are you not as bad as humans?" His clothes started flapping about, although there was no wind. Red tentacles appeared around his right arm, but they quickly disappeared.

It was Ashikata who spoke next. "Why can't you all put it behind you? Why must you let past acts cloud your judgment? This is a time where both forces are needed! Unite and drive back the demons!"

Kariudo raised his sword. "In this battle, only the demons are the enemies! Once they've finished the humans, they will come after you. How can you fight back against a colossus, when you are not a colossus yourself?" He dropped the raised sword, then walked away. "If you are not going to see what has already been made clear to you, you never should have been given the gift of speech and knowledge." With Ashikata, they both rode off on Yakuul.

Once they had left, an eagle growled, "The human speak the truth."

"Why should animals trust humans?" An ape argued. "Humans took away Forest Spirit. They took away forest."

"Yes, but many of the kodoma saw what happened. The Forest Spirit came in a form of light and touched that human. Also, the humans living in Iron Town have left us in peace to regrow."

"Yes, I believe we should help the humans." San stood up. "You heard what they said."

"That is because you are a human, daughter of Moro."

"You'd better shut your mouth, ape, or my fangs will find your flesh!"

"Why are we here arguing?" San got onto her brother. "If you will not act, then the Moro tribe will. We shall die in honour, but you shall die in shame." And the wolves bounded into the forest.

-----

As Yakuul galloped back to Iron Town, Kariudo tried to find out why he was helping these people. _What will I gain? What advantage will I have in this? _Then he realised that if he destroyed the demon king, all demons would perish. _No…That's a good bonus, but it's not why I came here. Is it for glory? _He realised he was making a fool of himself. He silently quoted back one of his teachings: _Do you seek glory? Honour? You shall only find death. _


	8. The bargaining chip

San and her brothers hurried through the forest, and onto the green, bushy mountains. On the ground below them, the massive battle still raged. The humans were holding themselves well, but some demons had reached the gate and were ramming it down.

"Wait!" She called, then looked down. "There he is! The demon king!" Once she pointed to him, surrounded by many of his personal guards, the Moro tribe sped down, nimbly pouncing on rocks and boulders towards him.

She screamed a war cry, and drew her sword as the wolves leapt at him, soaring over the heads of his guards.

The demon king must have had incredible reflexes, because he was just able to dodge them. He dropped off his demon-elk, and drew his hammer. "Don't worry about the wolf girl," The demon king said. "She is mine."

"Go meet up with Ashitaka and Kariudo to help them in any way they can!" She told her brothers. San shifted into her quick fighting style, legs apart, crouched, sword at the ready.

The demon king raised that mighty hammer of his and started spinning it around. As it rapidly started to gain speed, the hammer became nothing but a blur.

San leapt at him, sword thrusting at his chest. He brought the hammer down, slamming it into the ground and the wolf girl was forced to jump back or get crushed.

She tried again and again to strike, but time and time again he attacked with that accursed hammer of his.

Soon, the demon king began to speak to her. "Afraid of me, princess of beasts? Now that your mother has gone, you feel fear in your heart."

"Shut up!" San snapped.

"You miss her, don't you? You miss the peace of the forest. Well, I can bring your mother back to life AND destroy the humans."

"Yeah! Only as a demon though!"

"No…I can entirely bring her back to life." He dropped his hammer and stretched out his hand as an offer. "Join me…And you shall have her back."

As San was about to make her decision, a wolf howled.


	9. An ultimate duel

Swarms of varying species of animals attacked the demons, ramming into them, biting them, throwing them around and showering them with rocks. Birds attacking from the skies formed groups, each group carrying large trunks and branches. They dropped them down, striking the demon warriors on the head.

The humans, seeing this, were encouraged. The demon, were turning to attack the animals coming from the forest, and leaving the humans for later.

"Come on, make the most of this distraction! Get the wounded away from here, reload, and shoot at their exposed positions!" Eboshi yelled. "If the animals are here to help us, then we'll help them back!"

But even with the combined might of the animals of the forest and the humans of Iron Town, this was still not enough. More strength was required in numbers.

And that came. Kariudo, on a wolf, waited on top of a smoothly sloped hill. He raised his double-bladed sword and screamed a war cry. "For the tribe of wolves," He yelled, then charged at them.

And he was not alone. Close behind him was Ashitaka, on his wood-elk Yakuul, and behind THEM…were thousands of wolves, gathered from many places close to this location.

They struck hard, fighting off the masses of demon warriors without fear, for the demon armour was covering the cursed skin.

Spinning his sword around on both sides, Kariudo fell many demon warriors. They stood no chance against the mighty hunter, and he directed his wolf towards the king of demons.

"Demon King!" He yelled, leaping off the wolf.

The king turned, a mocking smile on his face. He raised the hammer and started spinning it around.

Kariudo attacked, spinning his double-bladed sword around. The weapons collided, and although the hammer was heavier, Kariudo's sword fought without fear.

The demon king tried to overwhelm him with brute force, but he dodged the more powerful strikes and deflected most of them.

"You don't scare me!" He yelled.

"Then you soon will!" The king shot back. The weapons sparked and flew, they moved and struck so fast that it was only a blur.

The intensity of the duel stunned the demon king. He had expected Kariudo to put up a bit of a fight, but not this much. Soon, he moved back. "You are powerful, Kariudo." He sneered. "But are you powerful enough to master your own feelings?"

He raised San's limp body into the air.

With gathering fury inside him, Kariudo raised his weapon. "Let her go!" He screamed.

Ashitaka knew he shouldn't intrude. This was a fight that Kariudo had wanted all along, he saw that from his fighting and quick dodges. But how was he supposed to fight now, when San was there? He wanted to step in and help, but something stopped him. _This is his fight. He needs to make the choices himself._


	10. A wolf's fury

"Let her go, Demon King!" Kariudo yelled. "This is between you and me, not her!"

"Is that so?" The king sneered. "She attacked me. You're lucky I didn't kill her."

Kariudo raised his weapon again.

Then, the demon king made his biggest mistake. "Say farewell, hunter!" He raised the hammer, about to strike her head.

"NOOOOO!" Kariudo flew at him, raining attacks that even he was barely able to block. The demon king dropped the wolf girl onto the ground, his hammer was getting battered badly.

He never knew a human held so much force, even with a demon infecting his right arm.

He was certainly struggling, his parries were growing weaker and his moves much more sluggish. The human struck at him with strength that was not a god, nor a human, not even a demon's.

Kariudo brought the sword around in one mighty blow. The blade shattered the hammer, and he held the sword an inch to the demon king's throat.

The blade was hissing, and glowing strangely blue.

The demon king cackled. "You may have me at a slight disadvantage, but I will regain it soon once I assault your mind. Open up your thoughts to me…

-----

_Kariudo suddenly found himself five years old, in a forest far more wilder than the one next to Iron Town's. His wolf brothers beside him, they chased after a deer._

_The tribe caught it, Kariudo feeling the exhilaration of the chase. As he bent to eat it, he was suddenly clothed in darkness._

"_That would have been your paradise, if you had surrendered your mind to me." The demon king walked out. "Your mind now belongs to me. You are weak."_

"_We are not weak."_

"_We are powerful."_

_Out of the darkness came Kariudo and a wolf. "You have no place in the world," Kariudo said. "And you shall not reign terror over its inhabitants any longer," The wolf finished._

"_And why are you so powerful?" The demon king scoffed._

"_We move as one."_

"_We think as one"_

"_We act as one."_

"_Alone, we are strong."_

"_Together, we are invincible."_

Kariudo suddenly found himself in the real world again. Below him, was the limp form of the demon king. As he bent down to examine it, he realised that it was just the armour. The body was gone.

"Well done, Kariudo." Ashitaka walked up to him with a smile. "You destroyed all demons."


	11. A hero's farewell

As the people of Iron Town and the animals of the forest hosted a great celebration, a lone warrior slipped out through the darkness with his wood-elk.

"And where do you think you're going?" San stepped out in front of him with her brothers.

"I am not one for celebrations," Kariudo replied. Suddenly, San ran up to hug him. "Thank you. You saved my life."

"All in a day's work." He walked off with his wood-elk.

"So you just walk away without congratulations?" Ashitaka walked up beside San.

"It's what I always do," Kariudo replied. "Seeing a village saved from devastation…Seeing a bond re-established between nature and man…Those are the only rewards I need." He walked off once more.

"Oh, but that's not enough for us." Lady Eboshi appeared with a torch in her good hand.

Behind them, there was a soft flutter of sound. Then, it rose into thunderous applause, and many triumphant animal calls and wolf howls.

Kariudo turned, smiling, then left once more.

Ashitaka had thought for a moment before that he could see a spark between them. It was apparent, in the way he moved, acted and spoke around San. He would have gladly stepped down if they both were together.

But if he had truly loved her, then he would have stayed.

San was sad to see him go. It was just like seeing her mother, Moro die. She would do anything to keep him here longer.

Then, Kariudo slowly turned around to face her. "San…Your mother was a beautiful, wise and strong wolf. She is not dead, and always watches over you. Trust me, I know."

She didn't know what to say.


End file.
